Page 107 of Rules

Lia nods, nibbling at her lip as we wait. I can hear a clock ticking somewhere in the distance. The sound is faint but loud enough to irritate me.

We wait in the silence, and after what seems like forever, I get up.

“I can’t take this anymore,” I say as I walk toward the bathroom. Not bothering to knock, I open the door and peek inside. “Are you done already?”

“Thank you for knocking,” Jeanette says, but I ignore her protest when I notice she’s decent and open the door wider.

Jeanette closes the toilet seat and sits down, looking at the counter expectedly. I gulp down, nervous too for some reason.

It’s not like you’re the one pregnant. Get a grip, Brook.

“How much longer?” Lia whispers.

I shrug, crossing my arms over my chest. “It shouldn’t be much longer, I guess.”

I bite at my lip until the beeping sound finally interrupts the silence.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I brush my sweaty palms against my tights. I look at Jeanette, trying my best to hide my nerves. “Ready?”

Wide, deer-in-headlights eyes meet mine. And I can see her throat bobble as she gulps down. “Can we do yours first?”

Everything in me freezes, but I push past it, giving her an encouraging smile.

“Sure.” I walk to the counter, every step feeling heavy like a stone. Sucking my lip between my teeth, I pick up my test and look down. My shoulders sag in relief as I whisper, “It’s negative.”

I turn it around to show them before I throw it into the bin underneath the sink.

Lia moves closer to Jeanette, hugging her from behind. Jeanette inhales before giving me the go-ahead. I turn around and pick up the test. My heart is galloping in my chest as I take it and slowly lift it up.

I look down, my gaze blurry, and I have to blink a couple of times to clear my vision. My throat works a swallow as I lift my eyes to Jeanette, a look of uncertainty on her face.

Slowly, I turn the stick around so she can see it. “What are you going to do?”

Chapter Forty-One

MAX

Taking one step at a time, I can feel my body ache with every move I make. The duffle bag I tossed over my shoulder hitting my thigh doesn’t help much either. With our biggest game of the season just a few short days away, and against our biggest rival St. Jonah’s High no less, the coach has been riding our asses this whole week.

At this point I’m so freaking tired, if I could lift my hand, I’d signal my capitulation. Scholarship and college hockey be dammed. Remnants of sweat still cling to my skin, although most of it is dried by now, but I didn’t have it in me to take a shower before leaving the rink tonight. The showers over there are shit, and my beaten body wants more than that. Taking the last step, I sigh in relief. I can already feel the hot jets hitting my skin, massaging my tired, overworked muscles into submission.

I’m just about to enter my room when the door across the hall opens. Looking over my shoulder, I open my mouth to greet my sister, but I am surprised to find it’s not her standing there, leaning against the door.

“Max,” Brook gasps, surprised to see me.

“Brook…” I look at the closed door to my sister’s room and then back at her. “What are you doing here?”

To say I’m surprised is an understatement. We haven’t talked since New Year’s Eve. Ever since school started back up, things have been so crazy I’ve barely had time to sleep. And if there was a spare moment here or there—somewhere between school, studying, hockey practices and my own training—and I looked for Brook, she was nowhere to be found.

Be honest. You’re avoiding her, just as much as she’s avoiding you.

“I…” She licks her lips, looking everywhere but at me. “Lia, Jeanette and I were studying.”

“Okay,” I say, confused. She’s acting weird.

Brook cringes, her eyes finally settling on me. “Jeanette wasn’t feeling well, and Lia had to go home, so I stayed with her.”

My whole body stiffens as every possible scenario goes through my head. I take a step forward, ready to go inside and check in on my sister, but Brook meets me halfway, stopping me from moving. Her hand grips my forearms, a zip of electricity going through my whole body at her soft touch.

---